George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Is the minister aware that the Prime Minister assured the parliament on 10 May this year that the government will be:

… returning the budget to surplus in 2012-13, on time, as promised, as I said to the Australian people at the last election.

Does the minister stand by the Prime Minister's statement that a budget surplus in 2012-13 was a promise—not an objective, not an aim, not a goal but a promise?